New Mexico's legislature has very recently been discussing the
need for a Movement Center focused on how to treat Parkinson's disease, given
that there are only a few physicians in that state able to treat this illness. I concur that
this is needed, but instead of merely only throwing more money at the treatment, you
need to deal with the causes. There is a terrible lack of information among
physicians and the public at about Parkinson problems. In 1985, US Senator
Howard Metzenbaum wrote a bill to require independent studies of problems that
begin with aspartame's approval, including the effect on the brain
chemistry, what aspartame does to the fetus, seizures, behavioral problems
and interaction with drugs including MONAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS,
ALPHA-METHYL-DOPA AND L-DIHYDROPHENYLALANINE.

Both parents of Dr. Russell Blaylock (neurosurgeon
and author of Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills) both died of Parkinson's and
he has a great interest in the disease. On this book's back cover, Blaylock
defines excitotoxin:

"A substance added to foods and
beverages that literally stimulates neurons to death, causing brain damage of
varying degrees. Can be found in such ingredients as monosodium glutamate,
aspartame (NutraSweet), cysteine, hydrolyzed protein, and aspartic acid." (Forty per cent
of aspartame is aspartic acid).

From Dr. James Bowen's Lou Gehrig's disease article:

"Aspartic acid, the excitotoxic component of aspartame does not cross the
blood brain barrier but is secreted into the cerebral spinal fluid by the
choroid plexus located in the ventricles of the brain. There, in the brain's
lower area and upper terminus of the spinal is where Lou Gehrig's, Parkinson's
disease and Multiple Sclerosis damage is most prominent. These critical
locations are bathed in the toxin as it is removed from the blood. From the
third to fourth ventricle there is a narrow canal called sylvian aqueduct,
which fills with this secretion and washes the roof of the hypothalamus."

Dr. Blaylock quotes Dr. John Olney pointing out
the irony of a food industry practice:

- Advertisement -

"Thus, today we are witnessing an ironic situation; while
knowledgeable neuroscientists are fervently attempting to develop methods for
protecting CNS (brain) neurons against neurotoxic potentials of endogenous Glu
(glutamate) and Asp (aspartate), other elements of society are vigorously
promoting the unlimited use of exogenous Glu and Asp as food additives. Today the
experimental evidence demonstrating the neurotoxic potential of these
excitotoxins is so overwhelming, as can be seen from the scientific citations
in this book, that it can no longer be ignored. The studies showing how excitotoxins work
have greatly increased our understanding, not only of brain function, but also
of the very basis of the degenerative brain disease process itself. In this
discussion you must keep in mind that the excitotoxins added to food are the
exact same ones that produce experimental brain damage in animals. The
glutamate in our discussion is the same substance and active ingredient found
in MSG. The neurotoxin aspartate is a major component in the artificial
sweetener aspartame (actually a mixture of two amino acids, phenylalanine and
aspartate, and methanol or wood alcohol)."

From a chapter in his book entitled
Creeping Death: The Neurodegenerative Diseases:

"By ingesting diets high in MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein,
aspartame and other excitotoxins, these people would be exposing their brains
to damaging levels of this class of toxin. Eventually other neurons would be
damaged, possibly leading to symptoms of Alzheimer's type dementia and ALS. Glutamate and
aspartate can enter the brain without a breakdown in the blood brain barrier.
We know that certain areas of the adult brain have no, or incompetent,
barriers. These areas are near the ventricular system (circumventricular
organs) and can potentially act as points through which glutamate and aspartate
in the plasma could slowly seep into the surrounding brain, thereby by-passing
the blood brain barrier."

"Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's
disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects the anterior
horn cells of the spinal cord. These are the primary neurons in the spinal cord
that control muscle movements of the body. But these neurons do not operate by
themselves; rather, they are controlled from higher up in the brain by other
neurons in the motor cortex which send fibers down the spinal cord, that in
turn connect (synapse) with the anterior horn cells. This bundle of fibers from
the cortex is called the corticospinal tract. In most cases of ALS these neurons
are also affected."

Dr. Blaylock discusses research on ALS in l987 by
Doctors Andreas Plaitakis and James T. Caroscio:

"In a follow-up study, Dr. Plaitakis and his coworkers
examined the glutamate and aspartate levels from the cerebellar cortex, frontal
lobe and two areas of the spinal cord in patients dying of ALS. They found that
glutamate levels were significantly decreased (21 to 40% lower than controls)
in all areas tested. The cervical and lumber cord, the areas containing the
greatest number of motor neurons, showed the greatest deficit. Aspartate was
significantly decreased in the spinal cord only (32 to 35%). This defect in the
aspartate and glutamate pools in the brain and spinal cord of ALS patients
could indicate that these specialized neurons are destroyed and as a result
have lost their previously high concentrations of these excitatory amino acids."

Writing about the prevention of ALS:

"You must also avoid all foods
and drinks sweetened with aspartame (NutraSweet), since it contains the
powerful excitotoxin aspartate. In addition, all that we have learned about
hypoglycemia and Parkinson's disease also applies to ALS patients. Low energy levels
greatly magnify the toxic effect of MSG and aspartate on the spinal cord."

Dr. Blaylock's book states that glutamate,
amphetamines and other excitotoxins may produce Parkinson's by overexciting the
cortical glutamate cells that connect to the nigrostriatal neurons lying deep
in the brain. This is true of aspartame as well. "It is like lightning hitting
the power line outside your house and burning up all of the appliances
connected to that line. The powerline represents the cortical glutamate neurons
and the appliances, the nigrostriatal system.

Dr. Blaylock points out that: 1. Parkinson's
disease is a disorder whose cause appears from substantial evidence, to be
related to excitotoxicity. These toxins destroy the cells in the brain central
to this disease. 2. Excitotoxins cause these brain cells to generate enormous
amounts of free radicals. This is true of MSG and aspartic acid (aspartame). 3.
There is substantial circumstantial evidence that dietary excitotoxins,
including aspartame, can aggravate these destructive changes in the Parkinson's
brain. 4. The additional toxins - DKP, aspartate, methanol, formaldehyde and
formic acid - add to this injury. 5. Recent evidence demonstrates that
aspartame products, formaldehyde - accumulates within cells and damages
proteins and DNA.

Dr. James Bowen has noted that many NutraSweet
victims report Parkinsonian symptoms.

"This is no surprise because every
biochemical component of the aspartame molecule is implicated in producing
Parkinsonian structural damage and creating a biochemical basis for
Parkinsonian symptoms. For example, aspartame is a source of methyl alcohol.
Experts in neurodegenerative disease from alcoholism recognize that methyl
alcohol is the component of beverage alcohol that causes neurodegenerative
disease in Parkinson's disease in alcoholics. Beverage alcohol is grain alcohol
or ethyl alcohol. However, methyl alcohol is also present in very small
amounts, although present only in trace amounts in alcoholic beverages. It is
the factor that produces the neurodegeneration. Methyl alcohol accomplishes
this even though the ethyl alcohol serves as a protective factor. Aspartame on
the other hand affords no such protection and the structural components of the
molecule are so arranged that the methyl alcohol from aspartame is probably 500
to 5000 times more active in producing toxicity than it would be alone."

Bowen also wrote:

"The structural damage in the basal
areas of the brain where Parkinson Disease structural damage occurs from the
dicarboxylic amino acid neuroexcitotoxins is a problem long recognized. So
aspartic acid even in and by itself is a recognized source of the damage to the
basal ganglia where Parkinson Disease degeneration occurs. As in the case with
methyl alcohol the molecule structure of the aspartame molecule probably makes
the aspartic acid damage from aspartame 5000 times more potent than from free
aspartic acid on a mg. per mg. basis. The brain with loss of neural tissue to
produce the dopamine, a neurotransmitter necessary to let the brain circuitry
function normally, is no longer producing dopamine in sufficient amounts in
these structures. The metabolic impact of the phenylalanine isolate from
aspartame is to remarkably decrease dopamine production thus making Parkinson
symptoms much worse. The phenylalanine isolate out-competes all other amino
acids at enzyme sites in the brain. This includes the decarboxylase enzyme
sites. Therefore, the amino acid tyrosine is not decarboxylated to tramine
which is the first step in producing dopamine in the brain. Therefore, the
brain dopamine levels plummet remarkably."

"Poster Boy for Diet Pepsi Michael Fox has
reportedly used L-Dopa to try and increase his dopamine levels. The use of
aspartame completely defeats this therapeutic endeavor. Not to mention the fact
that it caused the degenerative disease called Parkinson's Disease in the first
place. The destructive process will continue as long as he uses it."

The bottom line is that for 40 years aspartame has
been on the market poisoning the public and interacting with drugs. The
medical text, "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic" by the late Dr. H.J.
Roberts, world renown aspartame expert, is 1000 pages of symptoms,
diseases and drug interactions all triggered or precipitated by
aspartame.

Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino carried a bill to ban
aspartame in New Mexico. I testified along with Pediatrician Kenneth
Stoller before Senate and House Committees. Five out of seven in the Senate
Public Affairs Committee were ostentatiously sipping on their Diet Cokes; Dr. Stoller told them,
"I don't think we will get anywhere with all of you drinking Diet Coke, but please
have mercy on the children."

I visited with former New Mexico Attorney General
Gary King, asking that something be done to protect New Mexico's children.
He told me if I could show him that since the approval of aspartame autism has increased,
he would intervene. Dr. Stoller had already done the research and sent it
to the Attorney General but nothing was done. Later it was found out that
the teratology studies (on birth defects) had been sealed from the
public. It took me 8 years to find them and they showed neural tube
defects, spina bifida and cleft palate for starters. Dr. Woodrow Monte
then wrote the book, "While Science Sleeps: A Sweetener Kills". Here is
the last chapter on aspartame and autism: http://www.rense.com/general96/asparautism.html

While I was in New Mexico to testify to the
legislature, there were lobbyists, attorneys and front groups. The power
of the aspartame industry was everywhere.

In 2009 the FDA admitted to President Obama that
they were broken. They are run by Big Pharma.

- Advertisement -

As an example of industry
power Dr. Blaylock wrote in his book:

"Placebos are supposed to be completely inert substances.
Otherwise they would produce a physiological effect all of their own and ruin
the experiment. In the case of MSG toxicology studies, the placebo used to test
the excitotoxin glutamate is NutraSweet, which contains the excitotoxin
aspartate. It has been clearly shown in a multitude of studies that aspartate
produces the identical destructive reactions on the nervous system as MSG. It
would seem obvious even to the layman that you would not use a control
substance to compare to a known toxin if the control contained the same class
of chemical toxin. But that is exactly what is being done."

"Are
the representatives of the glutamate industry aware of this basic scientific
fact? It is hard to believe otherwise, especially in the face of the fact that
one of their own representatives presented evidence before a public hearing at
a meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in
which tables were presented showing that aspartame produces the same types and
incidences of reactions as MSG."

"Did these scientists disclose in their scientific papers the fact that the
placebos also contained a known excitotoxin? The answer is an emphatic "no",
and I have reviewed dozens of these studies. In fact, I was not aware of this
deception until I received the proof from Dr. Samuels. In many cases the powder
used to mix the placebos was supplied by the International Glutamate Technical
Committee (IGTC). It is interesting to note that the Ajinomoto company, the
chief manufacturer of MSG and the raw materials of aspartame, is an active
member of the IGTC."

"This company funds extensive research programs and provides funds to major
universities for research on the safety of MSG. In my personal opinion, I have
to believe that both the company representatives, and certainly the scientists
doing the research, must know that such studies are dishonest at the very least."

"But of primary concern is the effect of these powerful
brain cell stimulants have on the developing brain of the infant and child and
the later development in the adult of neurodegenerative diseases such as
Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's dementia, Huntington's disease and ALS. The
brain not only utilizes the excitatory amino acids as normal neurotransmitters,
but there exists a delicate balance of excitatory and inhibitory chemicals in
the brain. When the balance is upset, serious disorders of the nervous system
can result."

While I was in New Mexico I gave out to Legislature members Dr. Ralph
Walton's research for 60 Minutes showing that almost all independent scientific
peer reviewed research delineates the problems aspartame triggers or
precipitates.

To me, this was horrifying to
hear ill-informed corporate lobbyists try to disprove the research, parroting
what their corporate masters told them to say. It was like walking into a
pool of very ignorant and very dangerous Piranhas. Two out of three of the most vicious and vociferous pro-aspartame lobbyists ended up in prison for other reasons having to do with a fraudulent voter education film project and their embezzling from that project. One actually died in prison.

Aspartame is very hard to avoid. The broken
FDA just approved another aspartame drug, Advantame, as an
additive. One doctor told me aspartame is in all gastrointestinal
generics and it triggers gastrointestinal disease. It was given to me
without my knowledge and interacted with the pain medication. I
immediately was covered in urticaria or hives and stopped breathing on three
occasions before I found out. The opioids epidemic is all over the news.
Maybe there is some overuse but a lot of deaths can be caused by the violent
interaction of aspartame and opioids.

In the halls of hospitals today you see "falling
signs". #2 on the FDA list of 92 symptoms is loss of balance.

photo: Picture of Dr. M. Soffritti (Director General of the Ramazzini Foundation) and Dr. Betty Martini at the Mt. Sinai Medical School, where he received the prestigious Irving J. Selikoff Award. New study with low doses released again showing (more...)

"Rob Kall's book is amazing. He's created a real breakthrough, visionary how-to for a sustainable, quality future. Like Saul Alinski's Rules for Radicals, this book is destined to become a classic must-read for all those concerned with social, economic, and environmental justice in today's interconnected world. Story shapes the world and our world needs new stories if we are to survive and thrive. The story of the bottom-up evolution and revolution is one that can change individuals, groups, businesses, religions, and governments for the positive as it shows how bottom-up inclusiveness, connectedness, collaboration, empathy, innovation, and freeform creativity can help unleash the great potentials for good inherent in our very nature. If you want to improve things in your world and the world, first read this book, then apply the suggestions. Change is sure to come."

Pamela Jaye Smith, mythologist and author of InnerDrives, Power of the Dark Side, Symbols* Images* Codes* and award-winning writer-producer-director